We plan a trip to the Parque de Serralves today. There are three things at the Park: the Museu (museum), the Casa (villa), and the Jardim (gardens). Anticipating weather in the morning, we hope to walk the gardens first, then take the villa and museum when the weather turns. First, we stop at a small local cafe for breakfast, and on our way to the Park, we stumble on an old church: the Igreja de Sao Martinho de Lordelo (1764). Wandering to the church takes us through an older neighborhood that's kind of "behind" the commercial-modern look of the Avenida da Boavista, the main drag here.
Clearly this older area is slowly being knocked down and replaced with contemporary, mid-rise apartment blocks. It's a shame these blocks can't be saved or incorporated, as the new stuff has no character at all, but I'm sure these ruined walls are not sound.
When we make it to the Parque and pay our fees, we head out to the gardens. Instead of taking a right, we take a left, surprising the guards, but we want to see the Richard Serra first. The last time I visited, the Serra stood against a verdant row of trees, in hard sunlight; now they trees are bare, and the sun is low, making striking shadows on the steel.
We emerge from the alley containing the Serra, and into the wider Jardim de Serralves. Sculptural objects and farm animals dot the lawns. The gardens look good with the damp ground and the cool air, and the walk is truly pleasurable. There are lots of surprises as there are a series of "Live Uncertainty", architectural follies that house multimedia pieces.
We are in the villa, the Casa de Serralves, when there is a sudden sun-shower. There is no art being shown inside, as there was last summer, so the house is barren. The polished floors reflect the changing light and weather. It seems even bigger than I remember.
Into the formal gardens, the light is playing with the shapes of the sculpted shrubs, the plants are wet from the showers and there are twinkling highlights, and the soft sounds of droplets landing on the leaves.
We return to the Museu de Serralves, the main building designed by Alvaro Size Vieira in 1996. There are two artists being shown in the main galleries: geometric sculptures by Daniel Steegmann Mangrane called "A Transparent Leaf Instead of the Mouth", and graphic works and paintings by Jorge Pinheiro entitled "D'Apres Fibonacci and the World Out There". The building is wonderful, and clearly does its job of presenting art very well. The space have slices of space and light: ramps, coves, hollows, and folds where light and color can change and enliven the galleries.
Our last stop is the Museum's Library, where there are "First View" albums being shown. There lots of students using the study space. Particularly appealing is the lighting installation, which provides color and rhythm, and counter-points the large picture window framing the garden just outside.
Dinner tonight is at O Comercial, in the Palacio da Bolsa. Unfortunately, the dinner pales by comparison to recent meals. The Portuguese sausage pate wrapped in crisp filo starter does not have the strong flavors from last night's sausage amuse bouche. The cod fish entree has a very mild, almost passive flavor, and the textures seem to have no contrast. Not a bad meal, but no Michelin star here.
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